
Are you looking for a luxurious way to experience a Walt Disney World vacation? The Four Seasons Orlando may be your ticket. This lavish property is located in the Golden Oaks development inside Walt Disney World property (adjacent to Fort Wilderness Campground and not far from Port Orleans Riverside—so a very nice location). I was recently able to tour this resort and stay the night in one of its theme park rooms . . . here’s what I thought.
As soon as you enter Golden Oak through the massive guard gate you feel like you are rolling into Beverly Hills (in my minivan I felt a little Beverly Hillbilly). At the resort you are greeted and ushered in to an elegant lobby, though not jaw-dropping. To the right is the registration/check-in desk where the extremely courteous staff takes care of your check-in efficiently. There is also a dedicated Walt Disney World concierge desk here that can take care of all of your theme park needs. Within the central part of the resort you can also find several full service eateries and grab and go locations—the gelato at Lickety-Split is fantastic.
There are several room categories at the Four Seasons and they offer nice options for families. Each room is decorated in a simple and elegant manner—no Disney touches inside the rooms. This is a good thing for those who want to completely escape the theme parks, or maybe families where one member isn’t as thrilled about visiting Disney as the others. The standard rooms come with two full beds or a king with a sleeper sofa. The bathrooms are large and well appointed, with a TV in the mirror. My only complaint about the rooms is the bathroom door—it is a sliding door that left quite a gap that allowed you to see right in to the glass walled shower from outside. The open closet is outside the bathroom. The connecting rooms become a type of suite with an exterior foyer that can be closed off from the main hallway and the two individual room doors left open (there’s even a doorbell!). There are also suites of varying sizes.
Four Seasons has several room categories: Four Seasons, Golden Oak, Lake, and Park views. The Four Seasons rooms have no view or an obstructed view, Golden Oak look out onto the neighborhood homes, Lake view is . . .a lake view, and Park View is literally a theme park view. I was lucky enough to stay in this category of room and you can literally see all 4 theme parks from your large balcony. It was amazing. We watched Illuminations over Epcot, then Wishes over Magic Kingdom. We were high enough up that we could see everything, even Osborne Lights in Hollywood Studios. If you can spring for this view I highly recommend it.
If you have the theme park view that may be the only glimpse of the parks that you get during your stay . . .because you may never want to leave the resort. And this is coming from a major parks fan. The grounds here are gorgeous and there are so many activities for everyone in the family. Since most people do get to the parks the resort offers shuttle transportation.
The Spa offers many services (including a few that may be coming in the future for your little ones). It is a serene and calming environment that would be the perfect way to unwind.
There is a well-equipped exercise facility and a yoga lawn.
The pool facilities are what impressed me the most. There is a very quiet and relaxing adult pool area, The Oasis, with shaded and sunny areas to read a book or just rest. The family pool offers a zero entry (perfect for little ones), cabanas, and lots of fun. Then there is the elaborate lazy river complete with a waterfall, water cannons and a bubbling rapids section. And there is the waterslide. 242 feet of sliding fun—and it is clear so you can watch from the outside & see out while you are sliding.
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Another great option at the Four Seasons is their complimentary kids club—“Kids for All Seasons” that is available to kids ages 4-12 from 10:00am-6:-00pm. This place looked like so much fun—set up like a prehistoric playground with a working volcano! This is the perfect place for your kids while you take in a spa treatment or participate in the tennis or golf offered onsite. For older kids there is a hangout area, “The Hideout” with video games and their own mini version of Lickety-Split.
All of the family pool facilities along with the kids club and Hideout are housed inside “Explorers Island” the ruins of an old mansion that is overgrown. It is lush and beautiful for adults and fun for the kids—great theming throughout this area.
Are you hungry yet? Well you are in luck because the Four Seasons offers 4 restaurant choices, a lounge and a grab & go location. PB&G is a barbecue smokehouse located pool side that serves casual fare 11:00am-6:00pm. Capa offers more formal dinner on the top floor—it is a Spanish style steakhouse (yum!). Cuban-American is served at the golf clubhouse from 10:00am-6:00pm at Plancha. And Ravello offers both breakfast and dinner—the dinner menu is “modern Italian” and we enjoyed a delicious meal on the patio here sampling dishes from around the menu (inside seating is also available). Lickety-Split has pastries and fruit for breakfast, pastries during the day and gelato along with a few other options—there is seating inside and outside on the large verandah. Ravello Bar is open 5:00pm-midnight with dinner and cocktails—and it also offers a late night menu from 11pm-12am for those nights when you come in from the Magic Kingdom and you are starving.
The level of service at the Four Seasons was outstanding during our stay—there was one glitch with our room that they quickly fixed and definitely wasn’t something to get upset over.
I would recommend this resort to a variety of people. But I don’t think it replaces an on-site Walt Disney World resort stay, especially for first time guests. If you have been many times and are looking to experience the area in a different way; if you are coming to Orlando to do a little bit of Walt Disney World, Universal, Sea World, etc.; if you need to stay a night or two before or after a cruise from Port Canaveral; or if you are just looking for a wonderful resort stay the Four Seasons Orlando would be a fantastic resort.
Have you stayed or visited the Four Seasons? What did you think?